Traction Control System Problems of Toyota Prius - part 2

2010 Prius repeatedly exhibited the braking defect at issue in recent recall (sudden lurch forward upon encountering bump while braking to stop)--recall service performed 5 weeks ago. Although the sudden lurching stopped (until today) after the recall service, the braking behavior then had a consistently odd feeling requiring increased pressure to fully stop (though no more sudden lurching forward when encountering bump). Then today the old lurch forward suddenly recurred when encountering bump while slowing to a stop. Dealership contacted and says they have no further remedy beyond recent computer adjustment performed as part of February, 2010 recall--basically totally disinterested.

See all problems of the 2010 Toyota Prius 🔎.

My prior Prius was repurchased by Toyota 09/09 with severe electrical issues which only escalated. I believe the man in CA because that happened to us on the highway, and our car behaved as if it were 'possessed'. Now my 2010 is having intermittent issues, including an anti-skid/ braking light that we'd thought was remedied by resetting an abs actuator Friday-it was on since test driving the car-but I was told many excuses, and eventually they were aware but did not know how to correct this. (?) I'm concerned about driving this vehicle as my 2007 trapped us in the car twice-911 called in a panic-plus my small daughter's safety was at risk just by owning that crazy car. Please see if you can locate that car and inspect it-you will see this is not some chance situation-and now I am extremely concerned about our new car 'performing as designed' when brake warning light comes on when applied! feel free contacting me on this!!.

When braking on the Prius if you hit a pothole the car loses traction and skips ove the pothole. Loss of feeling for the control of the vehicle of a second or two. It happens every time when braking and hiting a pothole or manhole.

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I am writing to explain two problems I have had with my Toyota Prius. I want to have a documented of report of these problems in the event that they result in a serious accident, as I fear they might. I have experienced these problems on a number of occasions. The first problem occurs whenever I drive over rough or uneven payment. When the traction control kicks in, it feels as if the car is surging and it is necessary to step on the brake, sometimes with both feet, very hard in order to get the car to slow down or stop. I have taken the car in for this problem a couple of times. I have driven cars with traction control in the past and never felt the surging that occurs with the Prius, when driving other cars using other traction control systems. The other issue with the car is that occasionally, when accelerating, my normally silent Prius makes a loud revving noise. Whenever I hear this noise, I immediately take my foot off the gas. Thankfully, so far, the noise stops and the car slows down. The noise does not occur every time I accelerate, but it seems to be happening with increasing frequency. I am not sure if other Prius owners, especially those who have been involved in accidents, have reported this issue or noticed the revving noise prior to their accidents. But, I thought it might be an important piece of the puzzle that should be reported. I hope this information is useful. Quite honestly, I am a concerned each and every time I get into my car. But, with a year remaining on my lease I have little choice but to engage in what I feel is increasingly a game of Toyota owner russian roulette to get to school and do all the things I need to do.

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Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6). I own a 2007 Toyota Prius, I have been having the same issues other drivers are reporting in that the vehicle will increase speed when going over bumps, or on a slippery road. I always assumed it was some traction control system and it was normal, however the recent news stories have made me aware that my situation with my vehicle is not normal. I have contacted Toyota about this major issue, however they advised me that because the vehicle is no longer under warranty that they are not held liable for the vehicle. They also stated that due to no recall being issued for this model and year that nothing can be done, unless I am willing to pay to have the issue at hand resolved. I do feel that the braking issue is identical to the 2010 issues. Not sure what to do, and therefore I am writing to you. The incident date would be when ever I drive my vehicle, no crash has happened yet however. [xxx].

I have a 2009 Prius that is not a part of the "braking/traction" recall, however I've experienced the same exact problem from day one of driving the vehicle. On wet or uneven surface the traction control kicks in and car seems to lose power in the brake and accelerator for a few seconds and it is not possible to control the vehicle. In other words, you should be able to either brake and prevent a bad situation or accelerate your way out, and neither are possible for a few seconds. This happens nearly every day on the 2009 Prius. Looking at consumer blogs, it is obvious this has been a consistent problem with the Prius, and not just the 2010 model.

I noticed in the last few months that the "slippery" sign on my Prius 2007 came on many times even under very safe road conditions. For example, when I did a right turn slowly, the "slippery" sign would come on. On February 26, 2010. I was driving my car when it started to sleet. All of a sudden, my car lost control and started to spin until it hit the snow bank on the road side. In the following week, the car slipped twice when I approached stop signs slowly and applied brake lightly. We examined the rear tires which were the original tires with 48,000 miles on and the markings were mostly worn out. I would also want to point out that these old tires passed inspection on the same day of the accident and we just changed the tires hoping to improve the traction. After the tires were changed on March 6, 2010, it slipped once in the following two weeks under the same situation when I approached a stop sign slowly and applied brake lightly. The road conditions were all perfect when these 3 slippages happened after Feb. 26, 2010. I have read some articles(consumeraffairs. Com) and chat rooms(priuschat. Com) online and found quite a few similar experiences from other Prius drivers.

2005 Prius brakes fail temporary when traveling over bumpy surface. It occurs weekly. No consequences yet. Nothing done to correct the problem.

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I drive a 2007 Prius. Recently when driving over pot holes, the stability control kicks in and the vehicle lunges forward ( unintended acceleration). This behavior is pronounced on bigger pot holes and less in severity on uneven roads or smaller pot holes.

This has happened dozens of times, to myself and my wife. We are braking, and whilst braking drive over a pothole or drain. The traction control comes on, and the car disengages the brakes and the car lurches forward. After clearing the pothole, the traction control then disengages, and the brakes re-engage. Several times, I have come close to hitting the car in front. Conditions: clear, sunny, dry roads. Car: Toyota Prius, year 2007.

I have multiple times experienced a dangerous over-sensitivity of the traction control system on my car. It consistently happens in the following scenarios: a) if I am driving at a low speed, say 20 mph, on a smooth, dry paved road and then "panic break" the trac system kicks in and temporarily cuts power to my car, resulting in a momentary loss of braking. B) if I am waiting at a stop light in the right hand lane, about to make a right hand turn, and there is even a moderate amount of gravel on the road or the road is wet, then I accelerate to make my right turn, the trac system again kicks in, resulting in a momentary loss of acceleration. I have been compensating for these occurrences, however I feel very unsafe in this car yet no one seems to want to do anything about it. When I took my car to the dealer, they literally just said that the car was "operating as it was designed to. " well then maybe it is the design that needs to be re assessed.

2008 Toyota Prius with anti-slip rear-wiggle upon hitting small bumps in road. The anti-slip electronic system is way too sensitive as it is responding to small bumps in the road. I can understand how this may be helpful at high speeds or icy conditions, but at slow speeds the blinking yellow skid-control dashboard light and rearend wiggle as the system tries to recover does seem annoying. The system is overly sensitive.

See all problems of the 2008 Toyota Prius 🔎.

Loss of engine power in 2009 Toyota Prius. When accelerating into traffic in wet or low traction conditions every time one of the front wheels looses traction, the engine abruptly goes to idle for 3 seconds and the car severely decelerates. Only by removing your foot completely from the gas pedal and reapplying throttle will the car start going again. This extreme over-reaction of the traction control system is very dangerous in traffic. This over-reaction is most pronounced if turning to the right when a front wheel starts to slip. There should be a way to turn off the traction control system manually.

2009 Toyota Prius my 2009 exhibits similar braking issues to those being recalled on the 2010. At least weakly during slow braking over a bump, pothole, or damp surface, the "slip" indicator comes on and the car lurches forward for approximately one second.

Returning from work approx 1700 driving my 2004 Toyota Prius in the greater washington d. C. Metro area. It was the first day of federal government office openings since the blizzard of 2010 had started. My residence is approximately 1. 5 miles from a major primary road (va hwy 7 in loudoun county). The road is secondary state road vadot owned and maintained dirt (packed gravel) road for approximately 1. 25 miles, proceeding into our my development the road is paved asphalt fro the remaining . 25 miles. On the secondary road the conditions of the road was packed snow with small runs of loose snow. The road is very winding with slight inclines and declines throughout. Every time my car would break traction I would lose power leaving me with no correction capability to maintain control over the vehicle. I almost ran into embankments and over the soft shoulder several times despite slowing down to a crawl. Once entering into the neighborhood the car seemed to stable out until I began driving on an uphill portion of the road. This is a stepper hill than on the secondary road. When my tires broke traction all power from the car was lost leaving me in an uncontrolled situation of sliding around on the road eventually into the soft shoulder of a downhill cliff. I was attempted to start moving forward get myself away from the shoulder and the car would not move or put any sort of power to the wheels. I was terrified and stuck. I made several attempts finding new lines (paths) finally reaching the top of the hill (my driveway) due to the removal of car power. This has continued to happen un suspecting throughout the month on the unpaved roads placing me in danger. I am scared to drive it in any winter condition. It appears this is well documented on consumer affairs website and I have no way to correct this except sell my car.

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Most recent failure was a few days ago but this has been a problem since I purchased the 2008 Prius in March of 08--- I thought it was a quirk in the car --- something that just naturally happened when I would go over a pot hole or bumps in the road --- the car would lurch forward --- I had no control over the car --- no brakes --- I didn't realize that this was not a "natural" response until I heard the description on a news broadcast a couple weeks ago. Model years prior to 2010 should be included in the investigation. I am going to make an appointment with my dealer. Thank you.

This is not one incident, it happens whenever the road is slick (rain, or even sprinkler runoff!) or if I drive over a pothole--the power to the wheels is cut and the engine feels like it is going to stall. It is extremely difficult and nervewracking to drive while it is raining. The most dangerous times that this happens is when I am at a signal, making a right turn I need power to the engine to merge into traffic, and make sure that oncoming traffic is not interrupted. There have been times that I feel like my car won't "go" or hesitates when I need it to go! and if it's this bad in wet conditions, I would never even consider driving the Prius in snowy conditions. I have read that this is all due to a problem in the traction control system. Very unsafe!!.

While applying moderate pressure to the brakes on my 2010 Prius and while driving over a bumpy road, the brakes seem to momentarily, but completely fail. Then the car seems to briefly accelerate (or at least free-wheel) before the brakes feel like they're starting engage and work again. This has happened with this new car since the day I purchased it in July of 2009. It does it every single day, as I drive over the speed bump while driving out of the parking garage near my work.

Toyota Prius 2007. Will not move when on any slippery surface. The traction control has no override. This could get someone killed when they are trying to merge into traffic and the traction control shuts the power to the wheels when it is severely needed. This only happened in my driveway, my other vehicles went through the snow with no problem, the Prius kept losing power and there was no way to shut it off. Some one is going to get killed when the traction control doesn't know what to do and sits there while the vehicle is smashed by the oncoming vehicle. To reiterate once the traction control takes over the driver has no control over the vehicle.

2008 Toyota Prius touring version. Since buying the car is 12/07, I have noticed several problems. When slowing, if gas engine kicks off it is harder to brake (minor). When going over bumps (I. E, railroad tracks, rutted roads), brakes don't seem to work even when pressed hard (moderate problem). I make sure guy in front is far away from tracks before proceding. In snow (>4") car will stall - cannot spin tires (medium) so can't get the car to move without having to dig it out. Website (priuschat. Com) says this is overly aggressive traction control which protects hybrid components. Doesn't help when in traffic and stall out. Major problem - if quickly accelerating, engine will lose power with fast plummet in mph. Feels like the engine has died. Eventually with catch after it feels like it has stalled and will jerk and then slowly accelerate again. If acceleterating to avoid being hit this makes the situation much worse. I believe that the root of all of these problems is either traction control of vsc. Yellow icon flashes on dashboard when brake power lost on bumpy roads. Slipping of tires during fast acceleration or in snow causes car to stall. All events happened multiple times (multiple times from 500 to 36000 miles). Search dustyhuskie on Priuschat for details. Figured that I would have to live with the problem and get used to it.

While driving 2010 Prius iii today, as approaching stop sign at about 10mph, with right foot depressing brake pedal for gradual stop, car made sudden lurch as passed over slight depression in pavement. There was no ice, but the sensation was like sudden slide on ice spot. Same thing occurred three weeks ago while approaching stop sign. Vehicle has 870 miles and is three weeks old.

Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6) sudden loss of power when tires lose traction (2007 Toyota Prius - VIN: [xxx] ).

This is an ongoing problem with a 2005 Prius. If you hit a bump or pothole while braking from a normal speed, the car will briefly accelerate on its own. This causes additional braking pressure to be needed and precise steering. Many Prius owners since 2004 have indicated this problem.

I own a 2008 Toyota Prius. I've noticed that when I run over a bump or a pothole on the road, the car seems to accelerate or jolt forward. It happens while I brake to a stop sign and run over a bump or pothole. It has also happened while letting go of the gas pedal but not stepping on the brake. Usually when this occurs the light for the traction control engages as if it detects a skid, even though there is no skid. I have to press the brake very hard in order to stop or slow down the car. I tend to leave extra room in front of me just in case the car accelerates unexpectedly, but there is definitely a problem with unexplained acceleration.

I just reported the brake problem for this car, but there's also a problem with the tcs. When trying to accelerate on slick surfaces there is a momentary loss of traction resulting in an overly-long compensated period of seriously reduced acceleration; this has caused safety problems in intersections, where I am unable to quickly accelerate out of the way if conditions are slick or sandy, it is so unsafe that I wish I could turn off the traction control system. .

I would like to make the agency aware of my experience with the traction control system on my 2006 Toyota Prius. I understand that it is being investigated for the 2010 model but I have very similar issues with my 2006. This is an ongoing issue and occurs regularly from time to time (and has since I purchased the vehicle new). When passing over road surfaces that cause the traction control system on the vehicle to activate (wet road, gravel, pot hole, snow, etc. ), braking and acceleration control is temporarily lost. This loss of control persists for 1-5 seconds when braking, and indefinitely when trying to accelerate (I. E. When on snow). Braking distance is clearly increased, as the vehicle does not apply the brakes at all. I have had several incidents where I had maintained a safe following distance, but nearly ran into cars stopping in front of me (due to my vehicle not braking appropriately). Merging is also an issue at times, as is accelerating (into traffic or out of a hazardous situation on snowy/wet roads). I feel that the best solution would be the ability to deactivate the traction control system. Unfortunately Toyota is not currently offering a way to do this.

See all problems of the 2006 Toyota Prius 🔎.

When slowing to a red light on MD 212 at us rt 1 in beltsville, MD, my 2010 Toyota Prius rolled over a bumpy stretch of road and the regenerative brakes stopped braking. The car rolled forward in "free wheel" fashion until I stomped on the brakes hard at which point the friction brakes kicked in and stopped the vehicle in time to avoid an accident with the vehicle in front of me. The traction control indicator lamp lit, and remained lit until I released the brakes to accelerate when the light turned green. Seems to be the same problem everyone is reporting in the news this morning. I've had the car 1. 5 weeks, and this is the first time I've noticed the problem, although my wife claims it happened to her during our test drive.

I have experienced multiple incidents of loss of braking control in my 2010 Prius. Today I went to put on my brakes and the system locked up on me and then, luckily, released and I regained control of my brakes before hitting the car in front of me.

I have a 2010 Prius and had a 2005 Prius with all the safety features. When I had the 2005 Prius, I noticed on some roads that during braking, the brakes would release then reengage, giving the sensation that the car is accelerating. This happens when the road has a series of dips (washboard). The first couple times this happened, it was rather frightening because the car in front of me had stopped, and I felt as if I were accelerating. This is a reproducible event that occurs at a known location that I simply avoid. The road in this particular area is also down slope, which lends to the acceleration feeling. I have driven my 2010 Prius over this same area with very much the same result. My initial assessment was that the traction control took over to regain traction, however I would not thing this is acceptable. The Toyota dealership said this is normal behavior and is not a problem. Please feel free to contact me and I can describe better the conditions for this very reproducible event.

The car's anti-lock brakes fail to engage when the traction control kicks in. Thus, the car slides forward uncontrollably. I have avoided accidents only by swerving. Additionally, the traction control will activate when on dry pavement. Thus, normal stopping can be difficult if the car's traction control is activated (typically due to a bump/pothole).

This is a complaint about the brakes and/or traction control system on my 2006 Toyota Prius. This is an ongoing issue and has been ongoing as long as I have owned the vehicle. I am the first owner. The fault is as follows: when passing over road surfaces that cause the traction control system on the vehicle to activate (gravel, pot hole, snow, standing water, etc. ), braking and acceleration control is temporarily lost. This loss of control persists for 1-3 seconds. Of particular concern are instances in which a yielding situation accompanying a merging or turning maneuver present themselves. In these situations, if the car passes over a road surface which causes an activation of the traction control system, I am unable to stop the car or to accelerate out of danger. I fear that I will find myself in the situation where I am trying to slow down to yield to a vehicle while making a right turn on a red light and will be able to do so due to the loss of braking/acceleration control accompanying the activation of the traction control system. In such a situation, I would be unable to avoid a high-speed collision on the driver's side of the vehicle. I have lived with this danger for the last 4+ years, but in the light of recent developments, I feel it is appropriate to raise this issue through this complaint system.

The complaint involves a 2007 Toyota Prius. Since new this vehicle exhibits a momentary loss in braking when suddenly encountering bumpy or slippery surfaces. The events are typically accompanied by a flashing warning light indicating a slippery surface. These events result in a slight but noticeable decrease in braking force. Both my wife and I can detect when this occurs. No parts have been replaced and we have not visited the dealer. We thought that this was normal operation for our car until recent Toyota news releases.

My wife and I recently bought a used 2005 Prius from wilde Toyota in west allis, WI. In the last few months we have experienced braking issues with the vehicle on icy roads, slick roads, and snow covered roads. We have had three brake failures. The first was when I was driving on a side-street. I was going slow, less then 15 miles per hour, and stepped on the brakes to make a turn. The brakes were unresponsive for aprox. 2 seconds causing me to roll before the brakes engage. The second occured when my wife was driving at a low speed, under 40 miles an hour, on a main road. As she approached the stoplight she stepped on the brakes, which also failed to engage. Due to her higher speed she rolled over 10 feet and came close to hitting the car stopped in front of her before the brakes finally engaged. The final occurance also occured when my wife was driving, this time at a higher speed between 40 and 50 miles per hour, when pressing on the brakes on an overpass the brakes failed to engage and the car physically seemed to shake a bit. After being unable to stop for several feet the brakes finally engaged. We believe these occurances are due to an error with our abs system. In each occurance the "slippery road" warning has appeared. We took it to wilde tayota this morning. After software testing as well as road testing on their snow covered lot they failed to replicate the problem. No system errors were present and they were unable to take any further action. We are, however, still convinced that a problem exists. If it occurs again we will once again take it to the dealership and try to replicate the problem.

I have a 2002 Toyota Prius that exhibits the same acceleration as in the 2010 recall. During braking if I am to hit a man hole cover or pot hole the car seems to lose the ability to brake and skips forward. This happens every time I hit a bump in the road while braking. I have owned the car for over 2 years and have had the brakes replaced without resolve.

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Obviously there has been a lot of media coverage over the past day or so over the third generation Prius and brake issues. While I have a 2007 Prius (second generation), I can say that my car also suffers from the same issue while braking on an uneven road, going over a bump, etc. (this has happened on dozens of occasions). With my foot on the brake pedal, my cars feels as if it momentarily lurches forward before the brakes once again react. My traction-control light momentarily flashes on my dashboard when this happens. This comment from a poster on your website exactly describes my problem: "when braking, if a pothole or bump in the road is hit, the car seemingly jerks forward/accelerates for a split second. " since my car is not a third generation Prius, I find it interesting that it is suffering from the same problem that apparently only involves the newest model.